Luke 18:18-22
And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal,Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
Losing in order to gain
The scripture above is a record of the conversation between Jesus and one named "a certain ruler". The man enquired on what he needs to do in order to inherit eternal life. Jesus responded first drawing the man's attention to the ten commandments, to which the man answered saying that he had kept alm those from birth. The man was quick to point out his "achievements", but proved to be ignorant of what he lacked in order to gain eternal life.
Jesus knew that as long as the man's heart was still attached to his wealth, he could never be a candidate for eternal life. This is the reason why Jesus advised him to go and sell all that he had, distribute the money to the poor, then he could come and follow Him.Here, Jesus is not condemning material possessions, but shows that wealth becomes a problem when it takes the place of God in our lives. In such scenarios, it would then be better that we get rid of it in order to gain the eternal life that we seek. As we continue seeking God, may we be prepared to lose the things we so much value so that we may gain eternal life.
Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we come before you today. Grant us the courage to lose the things we must, that we may have a place in your kingdom. Amen
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